Figure 1 Group photo   On 15 November 2022, the Induction Workshop under the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Fourth Funding Call Inception Phase was kicked off at the UN Compound in Beijing.   With full support from the China Disable Persons’ Federation (CDPF), this Workshop is jointly organized by UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office together with the ILO, UNFPA, UN Women, and WHO offices in China, under the coordination by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in China.   The Workshop is held on the basis of the shared vision of ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities are fully respected, protected and fulfilled, and all persons with disabilities can fully and equitably participate in society, while supporting China in accelerating the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and disability inclusive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and at the same time fulfilling the commitment to “Leave No One Behind” as outlined in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for China 2021-2025, and in response to China’s 14th Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Development of Persons with Disabilities.   With a localized programme and an all-round coverage on key elements such as the connection between CRPD and SDGs, equality and non-discrimination, accessibility, meaning participation, inclusive data, and gender equality, this Workshop aims to provide national stakeholders with crucial and foundational knowledge on the implementation of the CRPD and disability inclusive SDGs in practice, responding to China’s obligations.   Over 30 participants (around 80 percent are women) representing UN agencies, government institutions, organizations of persons with disabilities, academia, and civil society organizations attended the first day of the Workshop. Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office and UNESCO Representative to China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and Republic of Korea delivered opening remarks.

On 10 October 2022, UNESCO 2021 Futures of Education Report Mongolian version, “Reimagining our futures together: a new social contract for education”, was officially launched in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The global report prepared by UNESCO’s International Commission on the Futures of Education encouraged the whole world to reflect and reimagine how education can shape the future of humanity and the world as we look to 2050 and beyond.

On 4-5 November 2022, fifteen journalists and editors from print, broadcast and online media in Mongolia participated in a Media and information literacy (MIL) workshop organized by the Press Institute of Mongolia with the support of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office. The workshop conducted under the UNESCO Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists aims to strengthen the capacities of media organizations to develop and integrate MIL in their operations. 

Group photo   On 1 November 2022, a validation workshop was held to review the Mongolian national assessment of the Internet Universality Indicators in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Around 20 key stakeholders, including members of the Multi-stakeholders Advisory Board established under the project, as well as representatives of the government, national statistics office, academic, civil society organizations and organizations of persons with disabilities.   Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office and UNESCO Representative to China, DPRK, Japan, Mongolia and ROK, opened the event. In his remarks, he stressed that in order to achieve universal Internet access, ensure the protection of citizens’ rights online, and maintain an innovative and open environment, it is imperative to have extensive knowledge about the ecosystem of Internet development at the national level. He reassured UNESCO’s commitment to supporting this line of work.   During the validation workshop, all participants were divided into small discussion groups according to their respective expertise, and provided valuable comments and feedback based on the assessment findings presented by the research team against all ROAM-X categories. The research team has collected from the groups updated information and insights on the indicators, which will largely contribute to the finalization of the assessment report, expected to be published early next year.

Group photo of participants of the 4th Mongolian National Stakeholder Forum on MIL   Mongolia celebrated Global MIL Week 2022 by successfully organizing the 4th National Stakeholder Forum on MIL and the 1st National MIL - Youth Hackathon from the 25th of October to the 30th of October, 2022. With the support of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office, the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO co-organized the two events with the Press Institute of Mongolia and other prominent media and information NGOs and the Ministry of Digital Development and Communication.   The National MIL Stakeholder Forum kicked off the celebration on October 25th and was attended by 100 stakeholders online and offline including representatives from key Ministries, university and secondary school educators, librarians, journalists, stakeholder NGOs (i.e. Faro Foundation, Mongolian Education Alliance and Digital Era), Human rights activists, and Youth Hackathon participants.